Sir John Soane was among the most renowned architects of his time in the UK. He was rigorous, pragmatic and well established. But most of his success came thanks to one of his collaborators and head draftsman: Joseph Gandy. He was a master at watercolor and perspective, while also capable of perfectly translating Soane's visions to livable images, both complementing each other in a perfect match.
Sir John Soane entered the project for the Bank of England in 1788, and was his main occupation during the following 45 years. Famous are the paintings by Gandy in which the building, while still in the process of design and rebuilding, is depicted in ruinous state in a hypothetical future, very much in the romantic taste of the time.